Austin school district announces $15.6 million grant
Money will go toward implementation of a district-wide high school redesign program

By Laura Heinauer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Making an announcement he called one of the most important in Austin school district history, Superintendent Pat Forgione said Tuesday that the district has received a $15.6 million grant to implement an ambitious systemwide high school redesign program. He said he hopes the program will become a model other districts across Texas and the United States can emulate.

The grant money, which comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates and Michael and Susan Dell foundations, will be used over the next four years for changes that are being crafted by each of the 11 traditional high schools and for a system to track each school's results.

The Gates Foundation has invested about $1 billion in education initiatives and led a nationwide trend toward creating smaller, more intimate high schools.

This is its first major grant for a Texas school system to make districtwide changes.

"This is a historic day," Forgione told a crowd gathered in front of Austin High School that included board members, principals, elected officials and representatives from community groups. "We are in the process of rethinking, reforming and renewing high school education in our district. . . . This is not for one class; this is for a generation making a difference."

Whether pouring money into schools or adopting the small-schools approach — or redesign, as it's called in Austin — will work is up for debate. Austin officials hope they can avoid problems faced by other districts by letting each school design its own plan.

Reagan and LBJ high schools, both of which failed to meet federal accountability targets this year, will use the money to create "small learning communities" and a mentoring-based program called First Things First. Travis and Crockett will use portions of that program and add components. Other schools, like Akins, with its career-themed academies, are designing their own models for reform.

Over the next four years, experts in high school redesign will be brought to Austin to help create customized models for each school. The experts will also help develop teaching strategies and curriculum changes. Specific areas already in need of improvement, including specialized math programs and literacy programs for English-language learners, will also receive money from the grant.

In addition, there are plans to make improvements in district administrationand provide more professional development opportunities for teachers.

"We came to Austin because of the vision your superintendent, your school board and your community has for its children," said Steve Seleznow, program director of education for the Gates Foundation.

The foundation has worked with some individual schools but has not always seen improvements. As a result, the foundation now focuses on districtwide initiatives. In Austin, Seleznow said, the organization hopes it has found a place where it can make a strong impact.

"This is not a broken school district. We see it as a place where we could have the best chance of going from good to great," he said.

In Austin this year, three high schools, Crockett, Johnston and Reagan, were rated academically unacceptable by the state. The rest were rated acceptable.

Throughout the process, the district will be asked to provide regular updates on graduation rates, test scores, participation in Advanced Placement classes and attendance rates.

Of the $15.6 million, the $2.3 million from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation will go directly to new data systems that will provide principals and teachers information about student achievement.

The money supplements a $1.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation last year that was used to create redesign plans based on what students, teachers and parents have learned about successful programs across the country, a process that included traveling to other cities to see what works and what doesn't.

"I think you're going to see a lot of interest in what we're doing here, and I'm talking increased attention nationwide," said Jeffrey Richard, CEO of the Austin Area Urban League. "People are going to start doing studies and really measuring how we perform. We're in the spotlight now, and it's time for us to shine."

In other districts in the state, efforts to create smaller learning communities have been hampered by budget cuts and campus-level infighting.

In Houston, Joanna Pasternak, a former teacher who now works for the Houston Federation of Teachers, said some teachers in the First Things First program complained that they got to know only a few students, so if they saw a problem in the halls, for instance, they were less likely to know the students involved. Others said time they spent meeting with students took away from time they could have spent on instruction.

"It's just the latest fad that has caught on," Pasternak said. "You still have all the same problems that you have with kids in a large urban school."

Getting the grant was the easy part, Austin school board President Mark Williams said. The greater challenge is to make sure the money is spent wisely.

"This is great news that we got this, but the tough news is that we got this, and now we have to figure out how to do it," he said.

lheinauer@statesman.com; 445-3694

The redesign at a glance

Akins:

Changes include the creation of six small learning communities and enhanced student advisory programs.

Anderson, Austin, Bowie, McCallum:

Changes include a program for teaching improvements for students, the creation of a senior year project, and (except at McCallum) the addition of freshman academy and freshman student advisory programs.

Crockett, LBJ, Reagan, Travis:

Redesign is based on the First Things First model, which involves creating small learning communities of 350 to 400 students. The curriculum is built around themes based on students' career and academic interests.

Johnston:

The school has created three small learning communities: The Academy of Arts and Humanities, the Academy of Scientific Inquiry and Design, and the Academy of Global Enterprise and Information Technology. Other changes include enhanced student advisory programs and block scheduling.

Lanier:

Changes include enhanced student advisory programs, block scheduling and small learning communities.

The Gates Foundation is telling American loud and clear that the direction of our education system is off track.

What do you think of their efforts?

Are they giving money to your school district?

Should they?

What type of grant would you pursue from the Gates & Dell foundations, and for what?